In my role as an instructional designer in higher education, various types of interactive media, such as interactive text, graphics, and videos, are used to support student learning, especially in asynchronous online courses. These interactive media are considered effective tools for supplementing written descriptions and narrative commentary, which can often become text-heavy. They are particularly useful for providing further explanations of complex concepts and showcasing real-world examples or applications.

One commonly used form of media is digital storytelling—short video vignettes that combine imagery, data, and narrative stories to teach complex content in an approachable way (Dreon et al., 2011; Kajder & Swenson, 2004; Lambert, 2013; Robin, 2006, 2008; Spierling et al., 2002). The use of this media aligns with Shelton et al. (2016)’s findings, which suggest that students believe interactive digital storytelling facilitates engagement, scaffolds learning, and supports learning gains.

While there are many benefits to using interactive media, it also requires careful consideration in the design and selection process. One challenge is that due to limited resources and capacity, it is not always feasible to feature an instructor’s narrative or create original content in-house. Often, instructors and designers must rely on publicly available resources, which may involve simply directing students to or linking these resources. This raises the question of what unique value we can offer to students in relation to the specifically defined learning outcome, as well as how we can differentiate the learning content from resources that are freely available to anyone.

Another consideration is determining how much interactive media is enough to engage learners and enhance the learning experience. Some may argue that 30% of a topic should be interactive, while others may believe that 50% is necessary to effectively engage students. While it is clear that digital stories appeal to millennials (Shelton et al., 2016), how can we strike the right balance between text-based, narrative content and interactive media to best promote student learning in higher education?

I believe these are valid questions that deserve ongoing discussion among various stakeholders, including educators, instructional designers and students.

References

Dreon, O., Kerper, R. M., & Landis, J. (2011). Digital storytelling: a tool
for teaching and learning in the YouTube generation. Middle School
Journal, 42(5), 4–10.

Kajder, S., & Swenson, J. (2004). Digital images in the language arts
classroom. Learning and Leading with Technology, 31(8), 18–22.

Lambert, J. (2013). Digital storytelling: Capturing lives, creating
community (4th ed.). New York: Routledge.

Robin, B. R. (2006). The educational uses of digital story telling. Society
for information technology and teacher education conference,
Orlando Florida. 978-1-8800094-58-7. Chesapeake: Association
for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

Robin, B. R. (2008). Digital storytelling: a powerful technology tool for
the 21st century classroom. Theory Into Practice, 47, 220–228.

Shelton, C.C., Warren, A.E. & Archambault, L.M. Exploring the Use of Interactive Digital Storytelling Video: Promoting Student Engagement and Learning in a University Hybrid Course. TechTrends 60, 465–474 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-016-0082-z

Spierling, U., Grasbon, D., Braun, N., & Iurgel, I. (2002). Setting the
scene: playing digital director in interactive storytelling and creation.
Computers and Graphics, 26, 31–44.